“When we start out, the fundamentals and basics are necessary to give us a base of support, not unlike a base in running. It’s why learning about the X’s and O’s of coaching, the science behind it, and the history of great coaches cannot be skipped. But as we grow as coaches, the innovations in training shifts to seeing patterns in ideas that may not come directly from our specific discipline.”

I’m a little late on the bandwagon, but I finally sat down with Nassim Taleb’s bestselling book Antifragile: Things That Gain From Disorder earlier in the month. I’ve given the book some time to settle and it has already influenced my thoughts on training more than any of the training-related books I have read recently. Read more →

I think I may have set the record for the longest pre-order period in the history of the world. My upcoming book on hammer throwing, The Ball and Chain, has quietly been in our online store for more than a year. The core of the book itself has been done for that long too but that is only part of the work; I still had the copy editing, layout, cover design, and more to finish. This took a back seat to other projects and, since my wife is a perfectionist in this area, we had to get it just right before finalizing. Read more →

In the move to evidence based practice are we shooting ourselves in the foot once again? So much “evidence based practice” is questionable, inaccurate, fraudulent or flat out wrong. I put my stock in practice-based evidence that I can support with good science where I can. In 45 years of coaching I have found that where it is necessary to produce results coaching (clinical) significance trumps statistical significance. I have yet to see a doctor or a scientist innovate a training method or a technical modification. Read more →

Here are books that I recommend if you want to consider yourself an educated coach. All these books are books I find myself referring to on an ongoing basis. Some are classics and some are contemporary. No doubt they represent my bias and my background in Track & Field, which has served me well in my career. There are a few more I will add later. Read more →